Assassin's Creed: Timeline
by Cerebral Anarchy
Summary: When the Doctor lands in Florence, Italy during the Italian Renaissance, he finds himself swept up in an age-old struggle between the Assassins and the Templars.
1. Timeline Teaser

Assassin's Creed: Timeline

Location: Florence, Italy.

Year: 1497AD

...

Synchronizing...

...

Done.

Leonardo da Vinci snored softly as he lay across his work table, his head resting on an unfinished model for his latest invention. He had fallen asleep earlier that morning after a long night of working. A knock on the door to his workshop elicited a small murmur from him, and he shifted slightly in his seat. After a few moments, the knock was repeated, louder this time. Leonardo's eyes blinked open, and he slowly sat up, stretching.

"Leonardo!" came a voice from outside. "Are you in?"

Leonardo sat upright, blinking the sleep from his eyes. A smile formed on his face as he rose and started for the door. "Just a moment. I will be right there." Making his way through the mess in his workshop, he went to the door, pulling it open.

Ezio Auditore smiled back at him from the other side of the door, as he raised a hand in greeting. "Salute, Leonardo."

Leonardo beamed at him, as he pulled the assassin into a hug. "Ezio, my friend! How are you?"

"Bene, friend. And yourself?"

Leonardo released Ezio, shrugging casually. "Eh, I cannot complain. I have plenty of time to complete my inventions, but it can be quite boring at times. I have found myself with much more free time to pursue my painting." He shook his head. "Ah, but I forget myself. Come in, come in! What brings you here today?"

Ezio held up his left arm, displaying the hidden blade. "This," he said. "There is something wrong with it, but I do not know what. The blade seems to be stuck." He removed the bracer and held it out to Leonardo.

"Stuck? That should not be." Leonardo took the bracer, turning it over to examine the blade. "The design of this blade is immaculate. There should not be any way for it to jam." He frowned at it. "Hold on." He made his way back to his work table, clearing a space on the surface. He removed the blade from the bracer, and began examining it closely, muttering to himself.

While Leonardo busied himself with the blade, Ezio wandered the workshop, examining the new inventions that lay scattered about. A drawing on the table caught his eye, and he picked it up to look at it. They were plans for a powered flying machine. He noted with a raised eyebrow, that the figure testing the machine looked suspiciously like him. A sudden shout from Leonardo made him jump.

"Ah ha! I believe I have found the problem. It is most curious, though..."

"What is it?" Ezio asked as he made his way over to the inventor.

"Well, it would seem that the spring to unsheathe the blade has broken. The locking mechanism appears to be rather worn down, and there is rust coating a few of the inner gears." He glanced up at Ezio. "It seems to have gotten quite a bit of use."

Ezio gripped the back of Leonardo's chair. "Never mind that. Can you fix it?"

Leonardo sighed. "The rusted gears I can fix. But the spring and the lock, I cannot. I will have to get new pieces for them. The only problem to that would be that I would need to make them myself."

"How long will that take?"

Leonardo shook his head. "I do not know. A day, perhaps?"

"Merde. Is there any way to do it faster than that?"

"I am afraid not. The pieces must be crafted by hand. I will start on it right away. Come back this time tomorrow, and I will have it ready for you."

Ezio sighed. "Very well. Thank you, my friend, I-" He stopped as his eyes landed on the model Leonardo had been making. "Leonardo... What is that?"

"Hmm?" Leonardo look up at Ezio, then followed his gaze to the model. "Oh, that." He reached over and picked it up, turning it in his hands. "I am not sure. It is something I have been seeing in my dreams lately. Why do you ask?"

"Because, I too have seen this in my dreams. What could it mean?"

"It may be important if we have both dreamed of it. Perhaps it is connected to the Apple?" He frowned and looked down at the small, blue box in his hands. "What I would like to know, however, is what in the world a 'police box' might be."


	2. Chapter 1

Assassin's Creed: Timeline

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Doctor Who. That privilege fortunately belongs to someone else.

The TARDIS shook violently, its passengers inside stumbling about to keep their balance.

"Are you sure you know how to fly this thing?" Mickey moaned as he picked himself of the ground.

"Mickey, I've been riding in this baby for 909 years," the Doctor answered. "I'm pretty sure I know how to fly her." The TARDIS shook again, more violenty this time, throwing the Doctor off his feet. "Well... I'm getting better, anyway."

There was a boom, then the TARDIS fell still, the sound of its engine slowly fading away.

"There!" the Doctor exclaimed, jumping up. "We've landed! Everyone still alive? Roll call!"

"Here!" Rose called, as she appeared from around the other side of the console. "Nice landing."

"Alive, but not enjoying it," grumbled Mickey, draped over one of the railings.

"Well if you're both alive, then let's not waste any time." The Doctor turned from the console, and leapt down the stairs, heading for the door.

"Wait!" Rose called, hurrying after him. "Where are you going?"

The Doctor turned and grinned at her. "Don't you want to know where we are? Allons'y!" He flung the doors open and stepped outside.

"Wait, Doctor!" Rose yelled, bounding after him, as Mickey slid his way off the railing, grumbling to himself. As he stumbled out of the TARDIS, he found Rose and the Doctor standing in a small alley in which the ship was parked.

"A back alley. How new," he grumbled.

Rose shushed him, then looked back to the Doctor, who was examining their surroundings. "So, Doctor," she asked, "Where are we?"

"Italy, I'd say."

"Italy? Really? How do you know?"

The Doctor looked at her, and smiled. "Pasta!" Rose and Mickey both shot him a skeptical look. "Well... There's a strong aroma of cooked pasta, as well as bread, and a hint of strong wines and coffee. Also..." He nodded up at the buildings surrounding them. "The architecture looks to be Italian, most likely sometime during the Renaissance, which would also fit with those foods."

Rose and Mickey both stared at him. "Well come on then," the Doctor told them, "Let's go explore. I love Italy."

They stepped out of the alley into a larger street filled with people. To their left, an art merchant haggled with a customer over the price of a painting, while a tailor to their right called out to passing people to come inspect their latest silk robes. Patrols of guards roamed the street, keeping a watchful eye over the citizens. A few of the passing pedestrians cast a sidelong look at the trio, and began muttering to each other.

"What strange people," one said.

Mickey glared at them. "Oi! We can hear you, you know." The people all flinched and hurried off, shooting a few dirty looks over their shoulders.

"Hey, Mickey, let's not go making enemies of the locals," the Doctor chuckled.

"But they're the one's who started it," Mickey protested.

"Well, that's in the past now. We should be looking around. There's no place like Italy after all. Well... I guess there are several. Just none on this planet. Or time period." He paused for a moment as if in thought and looked around. "This way!" He strode off down the cobblestone street, his coat flapping in his wake.

"Doctor!" Rose called after him, jogging to catch up. "Do you have any idea where you're going?"

"Nope!" he called back as he was swallowed up by the crowd.

"Doctor? Doctor!" Rose called out, pushing her way through the mass of people. As she pushed past a large man in colorful robes, she came across The Doctor standing at the top of a flight of steps. Beyond that, the street opened up into a huge courtyard. A magnificent marble building sat in the center, gleaming in the sunlight of early afternoon. A series of scaffolds crept up the side, where masons were still working on the final details.

A second later, Mickey ran up beside her, puffing slightly. "Too many people..." he grumbled under his breath.

The Doctor turned to Rose, a grin spreading across his face. "Do you know what that is?" he said, gesturing to the gleaming building.

"Um... A building? Big building," Mickey guessed, shrugging.

The Doctor's grin grew wider. "Not just any big building." He turned back to the building. "That, is the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore! Do you know where that is?"

Mickey scratched the back of his head. "Er... Isn't that Florence?"

The Doctor whirled around. "Exacto! Florence! Beautiful Firenze!" He looked back at the bascilla. "It's still under construction. That would put us here right around the turn of the 16th century." His face lit up. "Florence in the middle of the Italian Renaissance! Molto bene!"

"Why is that such a good thing?" Rose asked.

The Doctor smiled at her. "Do you know who was in Florence in 1500?"

Rose sighed. "Can't you just tell me?"

The Doctor looked like he was about to answer, when a shriek cut through the noise of the crowd.

"What was that?" Rose exclaimed, whipping around to try and find the source. "Doctor?"

Instead of answering, the Doctor leapt off towards the sound of the scream. "Come on!" he shouted.

After a few moments, they found the source of the noise. Four guards loomed over a overturned vegetable stand, and a cowering woman. She was dressed shabby clothes and a threadbare cloak. Tears streamed down her face, and she clutched her left arm, which looked like it had been broken. One of the guards stepped forwards, drawing his sword. "Filthy thief," he shouted, "I'll have your head for that!"

"Stop this!" The Doctor called out, pushing his way out of the crowd and stepping up to the guard.

The guard turned to him. "Stay out of this," he ordered, then reached out an armored hand and shoved him back. He then turned back to the cowering woman and raised his sword.

"Oh no you don't!" The Doctor leapt forward and jammed the sonic screwdriver against the guard's helmet. A loud, metallic ringing sounded out, and the guard cried out. He dropped his sword and stumbled backwards, holding his head, before tripping and falling to the ground. The Doctor knelt down next to the woman. "Are you alright?" he asked, not noticing another guard advancing behind him, weapon drawn.

"Doctor!" Thinking quickly, Rose grabbed the nearest object off the ground, hoping it was something useful. It was a broom. She grimaced. Well, it was better than nothing. Maybe she could knock him down at least.

She gripped the handle of the broom tightly and stepped forward. "Oi, you!" she yelled. As the guard paused to look at her, she swung the broom at him. As the straw bristles connected with the guard's head, the metal of his helmet crumpled inward with a crunch. The momentum of the broom continued on, flinging him to the ground, his sword flying out of his hand. He landed hard, skidding a few feet, then came to a rest, moaning.

Rose stared down at the broom in stunned silence, as did Mickey and the Doctor, until the cries of the other two guards brought them back to the present. "You'll pay for that!" shouted one, a large, heavily-armored brute as he drew his axe. His partner, a small, lithe fellow drew a long, curved knife from his belt.

"Rose! Get out of there," Mickey hissed. "Run!"

"Prepare to die!" shouted the brute as he lifted the axe to strike.

"Stop right there!" shouted a voice from above. The brute looked up, just as a man in a white hood leapt off the rooftop. The man landed on the brute, driving his sword into the brute's chest as he did so. The guard, driven to the ground by the man died without a sound.

"No!" shouted the Doctor, jumping up.

The hooded man rose from the body of the dead brute, and shot a glare at the remaining guard. The guard gasped, then cried out, "Ah! Assassino! Run! Run!" He threw down his knife and fled, shoving Rose and Mickey out of the way.

As soon as the retreating guard disappeared from view, the hooded man sheathed his blade, and stepped over the body of the dead guard. "Excuse me," he said to The Doctor, nudging him out of the way as he knelt down next to the woman. "Are you alright?" he asked her. "Is your arm broken?" The woman nodded slowly, then the man reached underneath her and picked her up. "This woman needs a doctor," he announced. "I know of one nearby."

He began to walk away, but the Doctor blocked his path. "Why did you kill that man?" he demanded.

The hooded stared at him impassively. "Well, what would you have done?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't know. But not that. You didn't need to kill him."

"Perhaps not. But what's done is done. I cannot undo my deed. Now, if you do not let me get this woman to a doctor, I will consider killing you as well."

The Doctor glared at him, then turned to Mickey. "Mickey, help me get him up," he said, gesturing to the guard Rose had hit. "We'll follow you," he told the hooded man, as he put the guard's arm around his shoulders and pulled him up.

"What are you doing?" asked the hooded man.

"We're taking this man to the doctor," the Doctor grunted in reply.

The hooded man growled. "There is no reason for you to do that. He does not deserve a doctor."

The Doctor shot him a smoldering look. "He's injured, and without help, he'll die here. That's reason enough for me."

The man stared at him for a second, then sighed. "I can see that I will not change your mind. Very well, follow me."

The man led them down a few side streets, until they came upon another large street similar to the one they had been on. "Come, friends," called a man standing at a cart across from them, "I've fresh caught leeches today!" He wore a long, black coat, and a bird-like plague mask. "Try a distilled elixer of lead and pommegranite, ideal for the liver!"

"Lead?" muttered Mickey. "Is he a real doctor?"

"You have to remember, this is a long time before the modern medicine you have," the Doctor told him. "They didn't know that lead was poisonous."

The hooded man carried the woman across the street, and laid her down on the doctor's cart. "She has broken her arm," he said, "Is there anything you can do?"

The black-cloaked doctor bent over the woman and gently picked up her arm. The woman whimpered softly. "Hmm, yes," he murmured, "The bone is broken here, but it does not seem that bad. I should be able to splint it in place." He looked to the top of the cart and pulled down a small, green bottle. "Here, drink this," he said, giving it to the woman, "It will help dull the pain."

The woman choked down the medicine, coughing a little, then looked up at the hooded man. "But..." she moaned, "I do not have any money to pay for this. How will I-"

The man cut her off, producing a small pouch, bulging with coins, from within his robes. He dropped it on the doctor's cart, where it made a metallic thump. "I trust that this will be enough to pay for her?" he asked casually.

"And?" spoke the Doctor, as he and Mickey carried the unconscious guard forward, "What about him?"

"Yes, yes, I shall care for the both of them," chimed the masked doctor, hurrying forward to take the guard.

"It is only fitting, I suppose. It is his own coin." The hooded man smirked.

"What?" the Doctor began, "His own-"

The hooded man shot him a steely glare. "Which was wrongfully taken from the citizens of Firenze at their own expense. Please, before you have another such outburst, I recommend that you learn more of what really goes on here, signore... Er, forgive me. We have not been properly acquainted." He gave a small bow. "My name is Ezio Auditore di Firenze. And you might be?"

"I'm the Doctor." Ezio raised an eyebrow. "Just the Doctor. And these are my companions, Rose and Mickey." The Doctor gestured to each of them in turn.

Ezio bowed slightly to both of them. "It is a pleasure to meet you," he said, "I only wish that we could have met under better circumstances."

"Me too," said Rose. "Welcome to Florence, I'll have your head for that."

"As I had thought, you are not from around here, then?"

"Not exactly, no," the Doctor said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"How could you tell?" asked Mickey.

"You do not fit in here, with those strange clothes. And, if you were from around here, you would know not to provoke the guards."

"They were attacking a poor, defenseless woman!" growled the Doctor.

Ezio frowned and looked down. "Yes. That is the sad truth of it here. The guards are corrupt, paid off by the Templars. They show no mercy unto innocents." His fists clenched. "So I show no mercy unto them. I am an Assassin. It is my duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

"And so that's why you killed that guard..." the Doctor finished.

"Yes. I do not enjoy it, but I am sworn to it."

The Doctor shook his head. "But there could have been another way. You didn't have to kill him!"

"He would not have shown you the same mercy, Doctor."

"Hold up," interrupted Mickey, "I thought that the Templars were supposed to be the good guys."

Ezio turned to him. "That is what they would have you believe. But it is far from the truth. They seek to enslave humanity. The Assassins fight them to ensure the survival of free will."

The Doctor frowned. "Nothing is true, everything is permitted..." he murmured.

Ezio straightened, staring at the Doctor. "You know of the creed?"

The Doctor sighed sharply, rubbing the back of his head. "I've run into a few of your order before, on occasion."

"You have? Where? When? Perhaps we could make contact with them and-"

"You can't contact them. They are all very far away, not only in space, but time as well."

Ezio gave the Doctor a strange look. "I do not understand."

The Doctor sighed again, shifting his weight. "You were right when you said we weren't from around here. But there's more to it than that. You see, we're time travelers. We come from a time far in the future. The assassins that I met won't be alive for thousands of years."

Ezio took a step back, looking confused. "Future? Time travelers?" He was reminded of the words spoken by Minerva in the temple. A message to the future. He moved closer, lowering his voice. "We should not speak of this here. Come with me. I will take you to a meet friend of mine. With him, we will be able to talk in private. He will want to know of this."

"Who are we meeting with, Signore Auditore?" asked the Doctor.

"He is a close friend of mine. In fact, I was on my way to retrieve something from him. His name is Leonardo da Vinci."


End file.
